


War Wounds

by Tangela



Series: Gammahammer [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mention of scars, Mutual Pining, Pining, Touch-starved Bruce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 03:57:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14907881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangela/pseuds/Tangela
Summary: Bruce asks Thor about his battle scars. He finds one that looks oddly familiar.





	War Wounds

**Author's Note:**

> The scars tag is obviously for Thor's battle wounds, but I wanted to put it in place just in case anyone is triggered by that kind of topic.

Despite having woken up completely naked in more places than one person would ever care to admit in a lifetime, Bruce was a very modest person. He preferred layers and leaving as much to the other person’s imagination as possible. Thor, on the other hand, wasn’t one for modesty at all. If a shirt wasn’t required immediately, then a shirt wasn’t worn. Everyone else had gotten used to it fairly quickly, but then of course everyone else didn’t have burgeoning feelings for the god in question, and really there were only so many other directions Bruce could look before he gave in.  And really, he thought, if Thor really minded people looking, then he’d put a shirt on. At least, that was Bruce’s excuse and he was sticking to it.

Now that he’d looked, he couldn’t help but notice how many scars Thor had. Of course, up until now he had no reason to be this physically close to Thor sans shirt, but now that he was, all he could do was stare. At the scars, of course, nothing else.

Of course with Bruce’s luck, It didn’t take Thor long to notice. “What? Is there something on me?”

“Huh? Nothing, it’s just- Sorry, I was looking at- You’ve a lot of-” Bruce gestured at his own torso to indicate what he meant.

“Ah. My war wounds. I have a story for all of them.”

Bruce relaxed a little, worried he’d overstepped his boundaries. “Really? All of them?”

“I’ve been in some pretty incredible battles, they deserve stories.” Thor sat down next to Bruce, and Bruce could feel himself turning a faint shade of pink. Thankfully Thor was too engrossed in what he was doing to notice. “Like this one.” He pointed to his side. “This was from a Frost Giant when we fought on Jotunheim.”

This was probably one of the strangest conversations Bruce had had, but it was Thor, so really this sort of thing should have been normal to him by now. “What about that one?” he asked, pointing to a jagged white line along Thor’s chest.

“A rogue Bilgesnipe tried to impale me. That one was particularly nasty. I was unconscious for three days, I almost didn’t make it.” Thor said it so casually, as if he were discussing the weather and not having almost died.

“And this one?” Bruce pointed to Thor’s hand.

“Ah, this was from Loki’s little snake trick,” Thor replied fondly.

Bruce just looked at him. What a family.

Thor pointed to his arm. “That one’s from Loki too. And that one, that one…” It took Thor several minutes to rhyme off all of Loki’s marks.

“And what about this one?” Bruce asked, nervously touching a hand to Thor’s shoulder. A deep scar ran from his shoulder along his upper arm. His skin was warm, and Bruce pulled his hand away as if he’d been burned. It wasn’t something he allowed himself to do, not unless it was completely necessary. It only served as a reminder of what he couldn’t have.

Thor looked around. “Hm? Oh, that one was from- Strange, I don’t think I remember.”

Something didn’t quite fit. It looked too large for Thor to not know who or what had given it to him. It looked…angry.

Bruce gently traced his fingers across the scar, allowing himself only another moment. “Did…he do this?”

“What? No, of course not, he could never lay a hand on me, I’m far too powerful,” Thor answered, a little too quickly, and that was all the answer Bruce needed.

He sighed. “Thor.”

Thor relented. “It was from our fight. On Sakaar.”

“God, I’m so sorry-”

Thor turned around, gently placing his hands on Bruce’s shoulders. “Don’t be. I’m proud to wear it.”

Bruce’s face felt like it was on fire. “You are?”

Thor nodded. “It’s a sign of what we’ve been through. We fought Hell together and we lived to tell the tale. It’s a part of me now.”

It was true, they had been through a lot together. Far more than two people who barely knew each other. Although…That wasn’t strictly true anymore, was it? They’d spent a lot of time together. Of course most of it was trying to save the universe, but there had been a few times when Bruce thought that there might possibly be something there. Something more than just friends from work. For one thing, Thor had been unable to keep his hands off of him. Of course he was just trying to keep Bruce safe, but even at times when there was no need, when it was just the two of them together. And the kiss. The kiss they’d shared on the Grandmaster’s ship. Well, it was more of a bump of the lips when they’d lost their footing, and Thor had quickly apologised and no more was said about it. But it hadn’t stopped Bruce from thinking about it. Surely there was more to them than just…

Well, Bruce was certain he had completely misread the entire situation. Thor was a friendly guy, he got along with almost everyone, that was just his way. How many times had Loki tried to kill him, and how many times had Thor defended and forgiven him, even when the fates of entire worlds were at stake? That was just how Thor was, why would he treat Bruce any differently? He was hardly special. He’d been alone for so long, keeping his barriers up to protect himself, to protect everyone around him from what he was, and now that he’d let them down, this was his punishment. God, he’d forgotten how horrible this feeling was, the feeling of longing, wanting something he couldn’t have, hadn’t been able to have in so long.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” he asked, and his voice was barely a whisper. Thor was very close to him, and it felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of the room. He felt dizzy.

“I think I gave him as good as he gave me,” Thor reassured him with a warm smile, “Besides I would have won if that wretched Grandmaster hadn’t interfered.”

That didn’t exactly answer Bruce’s question, but Thor didn’t seem particularly troubled, so he left it at that.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said, trying to sound light-hearted, but his voice was hoarse. Thor’s hands were still on his shoulders, strong and heavy, and he couldn’t think straight. This was ridiculous. What normal person reacted to something as simple as this? Right, like you’re normal, Bruce reminded himself.

“Are you alright?” Thor asked him, and Bruce nodded a little too quickly. Of course he would notice, it must have been written all over his face.

“Yeah, it’s just…” Just what? What was he supposed to be say? What in the world could he possibly say that would justify himself right now?

Bruce bit the bullet, throwing his arms around Thor’s neck and pulling him close to kiss him. God, he’d missed this. Sure, it was going to blow up in his face, but hey, he could just disappear again. Like he did every time he let himself be vulnerable like this. Any second now, he was expecting the fallout, the broken jaw that was surely headed his way, and justifiably so. What he wasn’t expecting was Thor to kiss him back, strong arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him close. Bruce felt a little of his control slipping, and it was nice, so nice to let his guard down and just enjoy this, that feeling of wanting and being wanted in return.

Thor was slowly pulling him into his lap, and Bruce eagerly went without a fight, hands gripping Thor’s bare shoulders, as if he was afraid if he let go, he’d disappear. Control was really slipping from his grasp now, a little too fast.

_‘Oh God, not now, please not now-’_

Bruce pulled away suddenly, breathing hard. Thor watched him carefully.

“I’m okay, I’m okay, it’s-” Bruce tapped the area over his heart with a trembling hand. “Was about to kill the mood.”

Thor smiled. “I wouldn’t have minded,” he teased.

“Don’t you dare, that’s so gross,” Bruce shot back, but he laughed, his voice shaky.

Thor ran a hand along Bruce’s back, rubbing small circles. Slowly, Bruce’s heart rate began to drop, and he looked down at Thor sheepishly.

“I’m sorry about…all of that.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?”

“I just threw myself at you. Talk about needy.” Bruce looked visibly embarrassed.

“I thought it was bound to happen eventually, after what happened on Sakaar.”

Bruce looked at him. “That was an accident. You told me that was an accident.”

Now it was Thor’s turn to look embarrassed.

“Are you kidding me? You’ve just left this hanging all this time, waiting for me to do the work? That’s harsh,” Bruce said, but he was smiling.

“I suppose it was cowardly of me,” Thor admitted, “but I was afraid if I told you, I would chase you away.”

“I can see why you’d think that, given my track record. But I…” Bruce fumbled for the right words. “I trust you.”

Thor leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Bruce’s forehead, fingers gently brushing along the nape of his neck. Bruce hummed, leaning his head against Thor’s.

“What did I ever do to deserve this?” he asked softly.

“It’s about time Fate allowed you respite,” Thor answered, and Bruce smiled. He couldn’t argue with him there.

**Author's Note:**

> It always ends the same way, but I love writing these little "Oh no, I like him" moments between these two. Thank you so much for your support this past week, I haven't gotten this much writing done in a very long time and I've loved it. Kudos and/or comments are greatly appreciated as always! My writing tumblr is @maybeishouldwritesomething if you'd like to send me a message or request. Thank you for reading!


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